6 January 2017 | Clouds of Andromeda

Every now and then an entry comes by that leaves but the most experienced astrophotographer in sheer amazement.

This unique picture of the Andromeda Galaxy -made by Rogelio Bernal Andreo from Spain and living in the US- is one of those examples. It shows the Andromeda Galaxy in its fullest glory and shows us something we rarely see in other Andromeda images: red gas clouds. These clouds of glowing hydrogen seem to be part of the Andromeda Galaxy, yet are in fact part of our own Milky Way galaxy and just happen to be in the field of view.

Here’s what Rogelio had to say about this image:

Here’s my latest work, my “Happy New Year” gift if you will. I hope you like it!

This is the first image I know of the Andromeda galaxy that also shows at high resolution, depth and full color several of the very faint dust cirrus clouds emitting light (as opposed to reflecting it) in the deep red that happen to be in this very same field of view, despite they have never been captured like this until now.

If you’re familiar with images of Andromeda, this image might surprise you. Being one of the most photographed objects in the night sky, if not the most, you might even be skeptical at first. How could everyone miss it and all of a sudden it’s here, clear and obvious? Just be reassured that this is the real deal and these clouds are definitely there. Credits to Sean Walker from Sky & Telescope for being the one to notice and let me know!

This image was recently published by our valued colleagues of NASA’s APOD. Make sure to check out the rest of his amazing work!